Association of admission and discharge anemia status with outcomes in patients hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure: Differences between patients with preserved and reduced ejection fraction

In acute decompensated heart failure patients with a preserved or reduced ejection fraction, the association of admission and discharge anemia status with outcomes remains unclear.

Of the 4842 patients enrolled in the Acute Decompensated Heart Failure Syndromes (ATTEND) registry, 4433 patients (2017 with a preserved and 2416 with a reduced ejection fraction) were examined to investigate associations among the anemia status at admission and discharge (no anemia, developed anemia, resolved anemia, or persistent anemia), a preserved or reduced ejection fraction and the primary endpoint (all-cause death and readmission for heart failure). In the preserved ejection fraction group, adjusted analysis showed that either developed or persistent anemia was associated with a significantly higher risk of the primary endpoint relative to no anemia (hazard ratio: 1.53; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11–2.11; p=0.009 and hazard ratio: 1.60; 95% CI: 1.26–2.04; p<0.001, respectively), but there was no association between resolved anemia and the primary endpoint (hazard ratio: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.67–1.45; p=0.937). In the reduced ejection fraction group, either developed or resolved anemia was associated with a tendency toward higher risk of the primary endpoint relative to no anemia (hazard ratio: 1.29; 95% CI: 0.95–1.62; p=0.089, and hazard ratio: 1.31; 95% CI: 0.96–1.77; p=0.085, respectively), while persistent anemia was associated with a significantly higher risk of the primary endpoint relative to no anemia (hazard ratio: 1.36; 95% CI: 1.12–1.65; p=0.002).

In acute decompensated heart failure patients, the association of admission and discharge anemia status with outcomes differs markedly between patients with a preserved or reduced ejection fraction.